The LOW QUALITY SOUND mode!!! (~13:55) ZOMG, you are the only person to ever reference that issue and offer a workaround solution! Your suggestion helped me to figure out the workaround for Waze, which is to turn off "play sound to phone speaker." THANK YOU so much for addressing this in your video! I have a recommendation question. I also dislike the UI semi-transparent overlap that seems to always get in the way of things. Do you know of any other Android AI box that uses a permanent navigation bar that you referenced in the video, but also has the ability to do split-screen?
You’re welcome. Glad it helped you. 😊 The best UI I have seen so far has been the one on the QC665 dongle from MIC th-cam.com/video/UgQrpMZ-eow/w-d-xo.html. So if you look at a dongle’s marketing images and see the side dock like the one on the MIC dongle you should get the same UI. Sadly not many have adopted this UI.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks! Looks like in the US they're out of the GT0464, but it seems like LEROAADZ has another box, called the AI Box 464, which seems to have the same specs as the GT0464. Seems like they might have used a different box b/c of part shortage...I hope the AI Box 464 performs as well as the GT0464. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction mate!
@@CarPlayLife Hey, just wanted to report that (1) The AI Box 464 does, indeed, appear to function the same as the GT0464, (2) unfortunately, both the AI Box 464 and the GT0464 are out of stock, ostensibly due to the current chip shortage, and (3) I was able to achieve a great Careoke-type UI in my car by activating developer options, forcing split screen for apps, then putting Waze on one half of the screen with Apple Music on the other half of the screen. Thanks for helping me achieve my dream UI for my car!
I think one cool thing to test with this unit is a HDMI wireless transmitter and receiver to see if there is video/audio lag. I had an idea of using a kit on amazon to get video to a screen in the 3rd row.
I just tried it out connected to an HDMI portable screen. No lag in the audio. Audio only comes from the car speaker from the stereo side and it doesn't look like it is being passed through HDMI to the portable screen. Hope this helps
@@CarPlayLife it definitely does. I was worried the video and audio would lag since it's coming from separate sources. So if there is lag while using a wireless transmitter then that would be the fail point. Thanks for your input
First of all thank you for reviewing all these dongles. The information is scarce out there and your channel sheds light on this, so thanks. I am looking for a dongle or ai box that has a non- laggy tradition “Apple CarPlay” while something I can get Disney+ and TH-cam TV yes TH-cam tv not just TH-cam. What is your suggestion. Thanks In advance for your advisement!
I would only go for an AI Box with a QC665/6125 chip inside it. There are new ones coming on the horizon from different makers. right now there are around 3 or so AI Boxes with this chipset inside. I wouldn't go any lower in spec than this, because this spec doesn't result in a smooth experience. The QC665 still isn't perfect, so this would be my base level of performance you need in an AI Box.
You can use wireless CarPlay or android auto at the same time as giving the android apps internet on the dongle itself. So by having a sim in the dongle you can do both as well as not rely on a wireless connection when tethering from your phone. It’s just more stable with a SIM and requires less connection steps when you get in the car each time.
Excellent review, thank you! Does it work only with the car controls or it needs a BT remote? I know Netflix will not work only with car's controls, but what about the main interface? If you don't need the box anymore I am happy to buy it off you :) I would take UK any day over Aliexpress :))
I only have touch screen displays but you can see me use the BT Xbox controller over hdmi. That was my only way to control the UI and apps. Some apps didn’t work well with the controller and might work best with a BT air mouse which I don’t have. It should work like this with car knob dial controls too. As this is up there as the benchmark AI I’ll have to keep this for a while to compare newer dongles too. Sorry.
Hi, I purchased this box after watching your video mainly to test Android Auto and CarPlay apps on a larger screen. I tried to connect the USB-C to the charger and HDMI to my monitor and connect to the BINGO+ Bluetooth but this doesn’t work. How did you connect yours to the monitor? Your video doesn’t show? Thanks
The box was very picky about the power source and cable used. It didn’t power the box if unused certain power sources or certain usb c cables. So I recommend trying different cables and power sources until you see the light on the dongle come on. Once powered the HDMI connection should come up. Again try different cables and ports if the box is already powered
@@CarPlayLife so it definitely powers on when connected to the phone charger and hdmi to the monitor. Does it needs to be connected to some Android Head-unit to work, I mean at home? I have a blank screen. When connected to the car it works fine.
@@oztrip7116 No you shouldn't need to. At 18:15 it shows I've not connected to the CarPlay display. Just USB cable to an extension that is connected to a powered USB-A port in my monitor. At least 5V output on that USB. Then it's HDMI Mini to Male cable to the monitor. The bigger issue was powering the dongle for me.
Hey Anthony, thanks for detailed reviews as always. I recently bought this item (actually the rebranded version from Digidash) and currently having issues with Spotify and Apple Carplay. Once the device is running and start using Spotify the sound/music seems to be coming only from the right front speaker as if it was a call coming through. The only workaround I found is to open apple maps app while music is playing. As soon as voice navigation directions kick in, the music then seems to magically re-route to its normal path and starts playing properly through the car's built-in speaker. Have you experienced anything similar? I wonder if there is any setting I am missing...?
I don’t think there is a setting for this if it returns after navigation/calling. I’d chalk this down as a bug. Maybe try and look around to see if you can run a newer update that might fix this.
Great detailed review! I have a question though, i have been searching for ai boxes for a while now. Most of them says that its comatible to a “WIRED APPLE CARPLAY” but my kia carnival has a wireless apple carplay. Will this ai box work on my factory head unit? Thanks a lot
Thanks for watching. I would not be 100%, but if you have a wired CarPlay port that allows you to use CarPlay wired, these AI dongles should work with it. If you can't operate carplay wired then there is a chance it will not work.
There are many alternatives. The only real use of these boxes over the phone is streaming video on a larger display than your phone or apps that aren’t compatible with CP or AA. There are more of them here th-cam.com/play/PLysOHeJ5BkMh2B1Rn4O0nk1ZSbJ2ufr-Y.html
If you use a USB C Dongle with Power Delivery, can you have a 10,000mha power bank to keep the box always on and connect to the car via the USB dongle?
I’m not sure what you’re trying to do here but if you don’t connect this dongle to a CarPlay USB port it won’t work. If you’re doing this to connect to an HDMI display outside the car then I guess it could work that way. But you’d need to get the right cable and the power bank might have to have the right output for make the box turn on
Thank you it's a great video... Just question does need phone or work without phone and did work here in Australia? ... I have holden colorado 2014 not supposed android auto this dongle ll allow me to use Android auto or no thanks again for nice reviews
You need a carplay system for these dongles to work with it. It is an independant OS, only requiring your phone if you want to use it for internet access, otherwise a sim card will need to be used for apps that require an internet connection.
Looks just like the digidash I reviewed. I find a lot of these products seem to be the same under the hood with a different brand name. Have you found the same?
Yes, most of this range is pretty much the same experience, minus what UI they decide to go with. I still fine the Lite and the MIC 665 would be the better UI, without that nasty floating button.
See if the settings area has a GPS toggle to use your own car’s GPS. Otherwise I don’t know. Maybe reach out to their support for further help with this.
Hey! How did you manage to connect the set-top box to the TV? In my car, the second monitor works when connected to Karplay. There is no separate house. Power on, HDMI cable connected. The prefix lights up, but there is nothing on the TV.
@@CarPlayLife Did u mean u don't have to connect with carplay audio to connect to TV? I tried to power it via USB-C port and and connect HDMI out to monitor nothing shown up. But it work fine if I connect it with carplay audio in car Can I use it standalone like android TV box?
@@eakachatchaiaroon2869 that’s odd. I had to use a certain usb cable and port to make sure the dongle was given enough power to boot up. If you’re not seeing the logo glow up on the case, it could be that. As for standalone, I don’t think it will work because this way doesn’t pass through audio via the hdmi for some reason. All audio would only come out of the CarPlay device it would be connected too. I didn’t try BT audio though, so that could be a workaround.
@@CarPlayLife I connected with 5v 3.0a adapter isn't working. What's ur adapter power to power it? I bought it from AliExpress from same store. I wonder why isn't working same as your
So android OS dongles on the CV display? I have been doing that recently to test WiFi speeds and so far app have worked apart from the Ottocast U2-Smart (which doesn’t seem to boot any more 🤷🏻♂️)
Maybe this is "the one"! You kindly suggested I wait when I last commented for an easy back and forth from Android to Apple and I hope this can play netflix, amazon and other video apps on an aftermarket Kenwood Carplay unit. It looks a little complex to use still but perhaps with practice it will become simpler...Can you charge through it? Do I need another sim card from my network provider? Thanks, great video as always and very informative.
Overall, this dongle felt more stable than the others i've reviewed, but spec wise it is still very limited and could be improved upon. If there are faster SnapDragon665 dongles now being made, I would wait until we see those as that should offer much more grunt under the hood to make using these dongles a more smoother and more reliable experience. As for your questions: You can't charge through this dongle as there is only an HDMI output port, not a spare USB port to power from. A data SIM or mobile wi-fi (Mi-Fi) connection is recommended with these dongles. Using a personal hotspot from a smartphone can be less reliable and more of a pain to operate each time you jump in the car and want to use apps on the dongle.
For youtube and Netflix functionality dongles, they are all priced around $160+ so you will struggle to get anything less than $100. The low end of these dongles will also carry low end specs, so the experience will not be good either. So i think your budget will only reach for wireless carplay or wireless android auto dongles that do not carry video streaming functionality. If you are after both, maybe look at the Ottocast U2-X dongle, currently selling at its cheapest rate here bit.ly/u2xdongle
@@CarPlayLife Again a massive thank you for your continued expertise in this minefield. I have an ok budget as long as it sings and dances! I will check out the ottocast now. Thanks again. A
@@grbolanos You could power it from a USB port if it had one, but as these sit near a USB port which is likely deep down in the centre console, I doubt having a camera on it would work, personally. Connecting to the dongle via a cable and having the ability to control the feed/stream in an app would be a nice feature, but powering from the dongle might be an issue when the draw from most USB carplay ports are so low, I don't know if it could power the dongle AND a connected camera at the same time.
Hello Anthony! First of all, thanks for all the nice and informative videos! So, im looking for my first android auto dongle for my Kia. I can see on your page that you have tried a lots of them! Is there any in particular you would recommend? I did watch many of your videos but i cant make up my mind which one to buy.
@@CarPlayLife Yes ofc. Well, First of all size doesnt matter. If it is as big as aurora its okey. I want it to be fast and minimun sound sync delay when watching youtube etc. Android 10 or 11 and with lots of memory so theres room for games :) And its for an android phone, not iphone.
@@johanwaller8401 If you're planning on using games on the dongle, you will want something that has lots of grunt (CPU/GPU/RAM). Currently, the majority of dongles run a QC450 or similar chipset, which is fairly underpowered for general use, let alone games. So I would be looking at the QC665/6125 chipset dongles or higher. There aren't many of these around still, and there are some releasing very soon with this or better chipsets inside. I saw one with 6GB ram and 128GB storage on AliExpress, so if that's the sign of where it's going, then I would wait a little while (2months) by then we should start to see faster chipsets, more ram and bigger storage - all of which look to serve what you're looking for.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks for your quick respons! :D I dont know how much im gonna play games on it, but i still want to be able to :) And yes, faster chipset with more ram sounds nice! I did watch your video with the M.I.C that had qc665, that did look good! I can wait, but it would be nice to have it when summer comes, its gonna be many hours in the car this summer and I dont want the passengers to get bored :) In general, I cant buy stuff without watching reviews of the specific items first, so its very nice your doing it :)
Do any of these android box support txt messages on the android side without a sim? Meaning getting text message from the wifi hotspot of the iphone. I know you can get phone calls through BT Phone, but how about text messages?
@@CarPlayLifewhy is it much better? I see the specs of the digidash is the same but newer android OS? Genuinely asking as I need something for next week for Netflix. I need something that I can play Netflix on my CLA200 touchscreen but ideally fast etc
Sorry. It looks like the model I reviewed has been discontinued. The same casing is available to many manufacturers, so it’s easy to think it’s the same product. The one you mentioned is a different product with different chip internals. Yes it is faster to the one I reviewed here, and is likely going to be the same speed or similar to the ottocast p2. So it should be ok for you.
That depends on what you want to do. If to connect to the CarPlay display to show android, then no that won’t work. If to bypass the CarPlay display completely and have apps running on the android phone then sure that’s could work. These boxes act like an android tablet. Unless you buy direct from China, most dongles cost around $250-300 so there’s not many that are over priced and wood be any better. Just look out for faster processors and RAM. That will help with the experience and stability. This one is my base level. But it’s hard to get at the moment unless from China. th-cam.com/video/UgQrpMZ-eow/w-d-xo.html we will see a few of this kinda release over the next few months. Right now there’s around three that I know off like this. One new one I have coming up for review in a few weeks.
I did show TH-cam for sync. After that point it’s all the same as the other dongles. Getting tired just wasting peoples time in the video length showing the same old stuff. Also I don’t have a HBO account to even try that sadly.
@@CarPlayLife No worries. If it's the same as the others that's great, but just wanted to see if there was any difference since this unit has 64GB vs 32GB like the others. Thanks for your review. It was enough for me to pull the trigger.
I have an Al box, and it’s now having audio lag from my videos, which is very annoying. I tried to fix it on the developer screen by switching the Bluetooth code, but it doesn’t allow me to. Any suggestions to fix this?
You say ‘now having audio lag’ so you’re saying it didn’t have audio lag before? What area are you talking about, within an Android OS app, wireless CarPlay or wireless android auto?
@@CarPlayLife it’s having lag while watching it wireless with TH-cam or Netflix. But now I have a different question. In your opinion, which is the best dongle to buy as far as quality and the way it operates as far as watching TH-cam, Netflix and things like that?
The floating home button is too difficult to use while driving. You had mentioned some other dongles which have a persistent side dock. Could you please tell me which ones have this feature? Thanks for all of your excellent videos!
The only two that’s done this is the Lexxson/ZBox AI dongle I reviewed here th-cam.com/video/L0UXE3ZwKE8/w-d-xo.html and the MMB 11 Plus I reviewed here th-cam.com/video/rLERYPoYkOE/w-d-xo.html the MMB removes it complete and the Lexxson has a floating button in CarPlay but a side dock for the android side. So no one has really nailed this yet.
@@fegar1 Yes it's very unfortunate they didn't include one. They might think it is more likely people will use personal hotspot from their phone than buy a new data SIM. 🤷♂
@@CarPlayLife Probably so, but from my experience trying to use old phones as a "car phone" the hotspot isn't an ideal solution. For one most US carriers limit your hotspot speeds to the point that even maps doesn’t perform properly. Secondly having the hotspot on really drains the primary phones battery meaning it has to be plugged in defeating the purpose!
@@CarPlayLife when connecting the HDMI to the rear screens it is a blank screen or garbled. I’ve tried changing the resolution and resetting the box but with no success.
The new boxes with the snapdragon 665 (qcm6125) are out with android 10 supposedly. These snapdragon 450 boxes are all outdated and the same as previous releases. Gotta love the 4 month upgrade cycle from china!
That’s good to know. I’ll keep an eye out for them or at least expect them in the second wave of dongles no doubt releasing early this year. They really need more CPU power to make their use a bit nicer to use. I’m getting tired of this struggling generation. Hoping to see something new and different but to find it’s pretty much the same 😔
@@CarPlayLife Keep us posted amigo, ordered myself the carlinkit 3.0 but I the thing I want is a quick and fancy Android box, so waiting for a newer generation
Thanks for the tip, just ordered a "M.I.C. Carplay AI Box: Android 10 Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 4GB + 64GB" from Amazon Germany, hope it'll arrive end of jan :)
Nice video , question. I have android 10 android car radio , I use a z fold 3 with android 12, I also use AAAD app where I have downloaded farmata and other apps that android auto usually won't let you use. Which of these wireless android auto would support and allow the same functions while allowing all apps to work 🤔 thanks in advance
@CarPlay Life no it's not needed at all , but aaad give you the option of watching videos or mirroring your phone to the screen which is a great option.
@@KingTheDetailer ok the android os would do all that natively the only issue is giving it internet where your phone would have it all ready and built in. So that could be more convenient
Hey Mate, Thank you for an amazing review. I wanted to ask you a question regarding these dongles. Haven't been able to find any answer other places but you might know. When the dongle is connected, when I go to reverse camera(forward too) on my dash it restarts the dongle (mind you I have the ottocast and not this particular one) is this normal for all the dongles or perhaps just the one I have? I just want to figure out if it is the dongle or perhaps my car, so I wouldn't have to try to buy another one. Any info you might have would be lovely. Thank you in advance!
Hi. I assume these camera feeds are part of your car system and is outside the CarPlay option. It could be how your system is setup specifically and that switching source modes will cancel CarPlay to give all the system resources to the forward/reverse feed. So that might explain why the dongle is rebooted when switching back. I would guess all other dongles would do this. One test you could do is have your iPhone plugged in via usb running CarPlay with an app open like Maps, Spotify or music for example. And switch to the reverse source mode etc and then swap back and see if CarPlay is just the same running the same app or if it has restarted and it’s showing the CarPlay menu screen. That way you would know if it’s holding CarPlay in a paused state or not and maybe a different dongle might deal with that better.
@@CarPlayLife Thank you for the suggest. I got 2 other ones and they seem to be fine when camera is engaged. sadly the Ottocast which was the most expensive (and faster than the others) doesn't work.
Sorry I don’t know of any location. If you need to update due to compatibility you are better off asking them directly for any update files to fix whatever issue you have.
This and the CarLinkit TBox are good. But I think the newer ones that I have yet to review very soon (maybe this Friday) might be one of the better ones to buy. So maybe wait for that video.
Most (or all) dongles don't support this that well. BT is needed to pair with either device, so if one is using it still, the other can't connect. You have to fully quit BT on the current device before the newer device can connect to the same BT profile. So other than that, there's little else to repot on this, there's no magical way that's any smoother experience.
@@CarPlayLife That's what I figured. It seems whoever is the first to connect on Bluetooth gets to use their app. I'm content letting the wife use it while I just use the native Android os while we're in the car together. Android auto while I'm alone
@@CarPlayLife while both phones connect to Bluetooth, if you go into settings, I couldn't see either connected in the settings. Same thing with wifi hotspot. I can see that it says 2 devices connected but no way to kick one or the other off to leave one connected. I guess it used the wifi hotspot to display the interface to the car screen.
@@ELCapiTRAN for wireless AA or CP BT is only used for the initial pairing before it swaps to WiFi. But BT is still required because I think if you turn BT off the WiFi will disconnect
Thank you. Yes it does, it mirrors what’s on the CarPlay display. I don’t think it passes audio though so the sound would have to come from the usb side and out of the car speakers for all the hear.
Do you know how I can reach technical support for this device? When I pair my android phone with the unit via bluetooth in the carplay app the Android Auto interface never comes up or connects--it remains in "waiting" mode. Any advice?
Sorry I don’t. Maybe ask the seller who you bought it from. Usually when this happens I removal all BT and WiFi profiles for the dongle. Restart both devices and try to connect fresh again. Or if BT is paring go to WiFi settings on your android and look for a WiFi network that might be the dongle. Connect to it with either 12345678 or 88888888 once connected AA might kick in. Also make sure your running android 11 or later and android auto settings for wireless is turned on.
@@teeztoyz it’s just known knowledge that wireless android auto only supported on most devices running 11 or higher. This came about because I couldn’t get my Realme6 to work wirelessly so I looked around why and I learnt about the limit to 11 or higher 😔 so I went to buy a pixel 5 to get it
Now i just need to find a clone on amazon. This the one i want but i dont want to wait till march! Can you play asphalt while in the car just like on the tv with a controller? Also do you know of one on amazon that is comparable?
You can play any game on the carplay screen, just like with a tv or monitor and a controller. My only concern if you plan on doing this is the power of these dongle. The newer 665 chipsets in these dongles should be better (but I’ve yet to test one myself) this one on Amazon DE amzn.to/3HeX8J3 and this one on Amazon US amzn.to/3r7lKO6 (none of these do HDMI though)
Hi, can you recommend a device that will give me a wireless carplay in the car and work well? Model: Golf 2021 (unfortunately does not come from the factory in this version)
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA Finals D1 | Fall | ยิงต้องโหด ให้เหมือนโกรธกันมาก่อน](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OnTdfGySmds/mqdefault.jpg)
The legend at it again with his honest and straight forward reviews. Thanks for this again, looks interesting 🔥🙏🏽
🙌🏻😇 thanks for watching
The LOW QUALITY SOUND mode!!! (~13:55) ZOMG, you are the only person to ever reference that issue and offer a workaround solution! Your suggestion helped me to figure out the workaround for Waze, which is to turn off "play sound to phone speaker." THANK YOU so much for addressing this in your video!
I have a recommendation question. I also dislike the UI semi-transparent overlap that seems to always get in the way of things. Do you know of any other Android AI box that uses a permanent navigation bar that you referenced in the video, but also has the ability to do split-screen?
You’re welcome. Glad it helped you. 😊
The best UI I have seen so far has been the one on the QC665 dongle from MIC th-cam.com/video/UgQrpMZ-eow/w-d-xo.html. So if you look at a dongle’s marketing images and see the side dock like the one on the MIC dongle you should get the same UI. Sadly not many have adopted this UI.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks! Looks like in the US they're out of the GT0464, but it seems like LEROAADZ has another box, called the AI Box 464, which seems to have the same specs as the GT0464. Seems like they might have used a different box b/c of part shortage...I hope the AI Box 464 performs as well as the GT0464. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction mate!
@@bliznik no problem. That looks like the same dongle to me also. Hope it works out for you and do let me know how you get on with it.
@@CarPlayLife Hey, just wanted to report that (1) The AI Box 464 does, indeed, appear to function the same as the GT0464, (2) unfortunately, both the AI Box 464 and the GT0464 are out of stock, ostensibly due to the current chip shortage, and (3) I was able to achieve a great Careoke-type UI in my car by activating developer options, forcing split screen for apps, then putting Waze on one half of the screen with Apple Music on the other half of the screen. Thanks for helping me achieve my dream UI for my car!
@@bliznik you’re welcome. Glad it worked out well for you. Yes it does seem like these specific dongles are like unicorn horns at the moment. Enjoy!
hi my car is 2016 bmw M which wirelee carplay i can usd??????????????????thank you
It all depends what you want from the dongle and finding out if it’s compatible
I think one cool thing to test with this unit is a HDMI wireless transmitter and receiver to see if there is video/audio lag. I had an idea of using a kit on amazon to get video to a screen in the 3rd row.
I just tried it out connected to an HDMI portable screen. No lag in the audio. Audio only comes from the car speaker from the stereo side and it doesn't look like it is being passed through HDMI to the portable screen. Hope this helps
@@CarPlayLife it definitely does. I was worried the video and audio would lag since it's coming from separate sources. So if there is lag while using a wireless transmitter then that would be the fail point. Thanks for your input
First of all thank you for reviewing all these dongles. The information is scarce out there and your channel sheds light on this, so thanks. I am looking for a dongle or ai box that has a non- laggy tradition “Apple CarPlay” while something I can get Disney+ and TH-cam TV yes TH-cam tv not just TH-cam. What is your suggestion. Thanks In advance for your advisement!
I would only go for an AI Box with a QC665/6125 chip inside it. There are new ones coming on the horizon from different makers. right now there are around 3 or so AI Boxes with this chipset inside. I wouldn't go any lower in spec than this, because this spec doesn't result in a smooth experience. The QC665 still isn't perfect, so this would be my base level of performance you need in an AI Box.
Nice amigo, great video, thanks again!
You’re welcome ☺️ thanks for watching
Great video as usual. Did you manage to resolve the issue with the humming noise/feedback you get when making a phone call via wireless CarPlay?
That hum is my alpine system or my air con fans spinning up. The mic seems to pick that up so easily.
They sent me the latest firmware. You can put the sound on HDMI. Super can be used as a prefix.
That’s great news. Brings more uses over hdmi with an update like that. Thanks for sharing 😊
Why do you need a SIM card if you can use your phone as a hotspot for wifi?
You can use wireless CarPlay or android auto at the same time as giving the android apps internet on the dongle itself. So by having a sim in the dongle you can do both as well as not rely on a wireless connection when tethering from your phone. It’s just more stable with a SIM and requires less connection steps when you get in the car each time.
Does it work with Renault R-Link? It has only Android Auto but not CarPlay
This needs CarPlay to work
Excellent review, thank you! Does it work only with the car controls or it needs a BT remote? I know Netflix will not work only with car's controls, but what about the main interface? If you don't need the box anymore I am happy to buy it off you :) I would take UK any day over Aliexpress :))
I only have touch screen displays but you can see me use the BT Xbox controller over hdmi. That was my only way to control the UI and apps. Some apps didn’t work well with the controller and might work best with a BT air mouse which I don’t have. It should work like this with car knob dial controls too.
As this is up there as the benchmark AI I’ll have to keep this for a while to compare newer dongles too. Sorry.
Hi, I purchased this box after watching your video mainly to test Android Auto and CarPlay apps on a larger screen. I tried to connect the USB-C to the charger and HDMI to my monitor and connect to the BINGO+ Bluetooth but this doesn’t work. How did you connect yours to the monitor? Your video doesn’t show? Thanks
The box was very picky about the power source and cable used. It didn’t power the box if unused certain power sources or certain usb c cables. So I recommend trying different cables and power sources until you see the light on the dongle come on.
Once powered the HDMI connection should come up. Again try different cables and ports if the box is already powered
@@CarPlayLife so it definitely powers on when connected to the phone charger and hdmi to the monitor. Does it needs to be connected to some Android Head-unit to work, I mean at home? I have a blank screen. When connected to the car it works fine.
@@oztrip7116 No you shouldn't need to. At 18:15 it shows I've not connected to the CarPlay display. Just USB cable to an extension that is connected to a powered USB-A port in my monitor. At least 5V output on that USB. Then it's HDMI Mini to Male cable to the monitor. The bigger issue was powering the dongle for me.
Hey Anthony, thanks for detailed reviews as always. I recently bought this item (actually the rebranded version from Digidash) and currently having issues with Spotify and Apple Carplay. Once the device is running and start using Spotify the sound/music seems to be coming only from the right front speaker as if it was a call coming through. The only workaround I found is to open apple maps app while music is playing. As soon as voice navigation directions kick in, the music then seems to magically re-route to its normal path and starts playing properly through the car's built-in speaker. Have you experienced anything similar? I wonder if there is any setting I am missing...?
I don’t think there is a setting for this if it returns after navigation/calling. I’d chalk this down as a bug. Maybe try and look around to see if you can run a newer update that might fix this.
Great detailed review! I have a question though, i have been searching for ai boxes for a while now. Most of them says that its comatible to a “WIRED APPLE CARPLAY” but my kia carnival has a wireless apple carplay. Will this ai box work on my factory head unit? Thanks a lot
Thanks for watching. I would not be 100%, but if you have a wired CarPlay port that allows you to use CarPlay wired, these AI dongles should work with it. If you can't operate carplay wired then there is a chance it will not work.
Any alternatives? This isn't that cheap to basically do what your phone is already doing.
There are many alternatives. The only real use of these boxes over the phone is streaming video on a larger display than your phone or apps that aren’t compatible with CP or AA. There are more of them here th-cam.com/play/PLysOHeJ5BkMh2B1Rn4O0nk1ZSbJ2ufr-Y.html
If you use a USB C Dongle with Power Delivery, can you have a 10,000mha power bank to keep the box always on and connect to the car via the USB dongle?
I’m not sure what you’re trying to do here but if you don’t connect this dongle to a CarPlay USB port it won’t work. If you’re doing this to connect to an HDMI display outside the car then I guess it could work that way. But you’d need to get the right cable and the power bank might have to have the right output for make the box turn on
Thank you it's a great video... Just question does need phone or work without phone and did work here in Australia? ... I have holden colorado 2014 not supposed android auto this dongle ll allow me to use Android auto or no thanks again for nice reviews
You need a carplay system for these dongles to work with it. It is an independant OS, only requiring your phone if you want to use it for internet access, otherwise a sim card will need to be used for apps that require an internet connection.
Thank you so much
Does it require active Apple car play or does it basically act as the car play too?
It requires wired Apple CarPlay on your car system
I have a question, is it possible to run two different applications on two screens at the same time?
Split screen mode is what you’re after, I think this one does that. Most of them do.
Do you know to factory settings? I want to reset it but i can not
Try 126
Does you car need to have CarPlay on it or it work with a car without carplay
You need wired CarPlay
Looks just like the digidash I reviewed. I find a lot of these products seem to be the same under the hood with a different brand name.
Have you found the same?
Yes, most of this range is pretty much the same experience, minus what UI they decide to go with. I still fine the Lite and the MIC 665 would be the better UI, without that nasty floating button.
Very weak GPS! How to improve?
See if the settings area has a GPS toggle to use your own car’s GPS. Otherwise I don’t know. Maybe reach out to their support for further help with this.
Hey! How did you manage to connect the set-top box to the TV? In my car, the second monitor works when connected to Karplay. There is no separate house. Power on, HDMI cable connected. The prefix lights up, but there is nothing on the TV.
I had to feed it power over the usb-c port and connect hdmi to the display. Then pair with BT controller.
@@CarPlayLife Did u mean u don't have to connect with carplay audio to connect to TV?
I tried to power it via USB-C port and and connect HDMI out to monitor nothing shown up. But it work fine if I connect it with carplay audio in car
Can I use it standalone like android TV box?
@@eakachatchaiaroon2869 that’s odd. I had to use a certain usb cable and port to make sure the dongle was given enough power to boot up. If you’re not seeing the logo glow up on the case, it could be that.
As for standalone, I don’t think it will work because this way doesn’t pass through audio via the hdmi for some reason. All audio would only come out of the CarPlay device it would be connected too. I didn’t try BT audio though, so that could be a workaround.
@@CarPlayLife I connected with 5v 3.0a adapter isn't working. What's ur adapter power to power it?
I bought it from AliExpress from same store. I wonder why isn't working same as your
Hi Anthony....i wish if you could make a review to connect any of these dongles to a coral vision carplay ...thank you
So android OS dongles on the CV display? I have been doing that recently to test WiFi speeds and so far app have worked apart from the Ottocast U2-Smart (which doesn’t seem to boot any more 🤷🏻♂️)
Maybe this is "the one"! You kindly suggested I wait when I last commented for an easy back and forth from Android to Apple and I hope this can play netflix, amazon and other video apps on an aftermarket Kenwood Carplay unit. It looks a little complex to use still but perhaps with practice it will become simpler...Can you charge through it? Do I need another sim card from my network provider? Thanks, great video as always and very informative.
Overall, this dongle felt more stable than the others i've reviewed, but spec wise it is still very limited and could be improved upon. If there are faster SnapDragon665 dongles now being made, I would wait until we see those as that should offer much more grunt under the hood to make using these dongles a more smoother and more reliable experience.
As for your questions: You can't charge through this dongle as there is only an HDMI output port, not a spare USB port to power from. A data SIM or mobile wi-fi (Mi-Fi) connection is recommended with these dongles. Using a personal hotspot from a smartphone can be less reliable and more of a pain to operate each time you jump in the car and want to use apps on the dongle.
For youtube and Netflix functionality dongles, they are all priced around $160+ so you will struggle to get anything less than $100. The low end of these dongles will also carry low end specs, so the experience will not be good either.
So i think your budget will only reach for wireless carplay or wireless android auto dongles that do not carry video streaming functionality. If you are after both, maybe look at the Ottocast U2-X dongle, currently selling at its cheapest rate here bit.ly/u2xdongle
@@CarPlayLife Again a massive thank you for your continued expertise in this minefield. I have an ok budget as long as it sings and dances! I will check out the ottocast now. Thanks again. A
It would be nice if they would add a video camera input
🤔how would that work exactly?
@@CarPlayLife you would be able to add a front camera to your vehicle
@@grbolanos You could power it from a USB port if it had one, but as these sit near a USB port which is likely deep down in the centre console, I doubt having a camera on it would work, personally. Connecting to the dongle via a cable and having the ability to control the feed/stream in an app would be a nice feature, but powering from the dongle might be an issue when the draw from most USB carplay ports are so low, I don't know if it could power the dongle AND a connected camera at the same time.
Do you have a link to where you would obtain software updates for this dongle?
Sorry I don’t. Best to reach out to whoever you purchased it from and see if they can direct you to any updates.
Hello Anthony!
First of all, thanks for all the nice and informative videos!
So, im looking for my first android auto dongle for my Kia. I can see on your page that you have tried a lots of them!
Is there any in particular you would recommend? I did watch many of your videos but i cant make up my mind which one to buy.
What experience is important for you? Maybe knowing that will help narrow down your options.
@@CarPlayLife Yes ofc. Well, First of all size doesnt matter. If it is as big as aurora its okey. I want it to be fast and minimun sound sync delay when watching youtube etc. Android 10 or 11 and with lots of memory so theres room for games :)
And its for an android phone, not iphone.
@@johanwaller8401 If you're planning on using games on the dongle, you will want something that has lots of grunt (CPU/GPU/RAM). Currently, the majority of dongles run a QC450 or similar chipset, which is fairly underpowered for general use, let alone games. So I would be looking at the QC665/6125 chipset dongles or higher. There aren't many of these around still, and there are some releasing very soon with this or better chipsets inside. I saw one with 6GB ram and 128GB storage on AliExpress, so if that's the sign of where it's going, then I would wait a little while (2months) by then we should start to see faster chipsets, more ram and bigger storage - all of which look to serve what you're looking for.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks for your quick respons! :D
I dont know how much im gonna play games on it, but i still want to be able to :) And yes, faster chipset with more ram sounds nice! I did watch your video with the M.I.C that had qc665, that did look good! I can wait, but it would be nice to have it when summer comes, its gonna be many hours in the car this summer and I dont want the passengers to get bored :) In general, I cant buy stuff without watching reviews of the specific items first, so its very nice your doing it :)
@@johanwaller8401 you’re welcome and thanks for watching. Hopefully more to come soon. Right now it’s a bit of a CarPlay dongle drought season.
Do any of these android box support txt messages on the android side without a sim? Meaning getting text message from the wifi hotspot of the iphone. I know you can get phone calls through BT Phone, but how about text messages?
I guess with out a sim you mean getting messages through apps like WhatsApp ?
the ux999 ultra looks really good. 8gb RAM. did you order this yet?
I hope to be reviewing the ultra next Friday 🤞🏻.
Hi where can I buy it? And you prefer digi dash 3 or picasou 2 pro ? Please help me with this thank you 🙏🏿
Picasou 2 is much better. pro only if you need hdmi IN and usb port for media.
@@CarPlayLifewhy is it much better? I see the specs of the digidash is the same but newer android OS? Genuinely asking as I need something for next week for Netflix. I need something that I can play Netflix on my CLA200 touchscreen but ideally fast etc
Sorry. It looks like the model I reviewed has been discontinued. The same casing is available to many manufacturers, so it’s easy to think it’s the same product. The one you mentioned is a different product with different chip internals. Yes it is faster to the one I reviewed here, and is likely going to be the same speed or similar to the ottocast p2. So it should be ok for you.
If money is not the issue what would be the best ai box to buy? Also is there anyway I could use an old android phone to do what an ai box does?
That depends on what you want to do. If to connect to the CarPlay display to show android, then no that won’t work. If to bypass the CarPlay display completely and have apps running on the android phone then sure that’s could work. These boxes act like an android tablet.
Unless you buy direct from China, most dongles cost around $250-300 so there’s not many that are over priced and wood be any better. Just look out for faster processors and RAM. That will help with the experience and stability.
This one is my base level. But it’s hard to get at the moment unless from China. th-cam.com/video/UgQrpMZ-eow/w-d-xo.html we will see a few of this kinda release over the next few months. Right now there’s around three that I know off like this. One new one I have coming up for review in a few weeks.
Does it work with android 10 & my car is MG HS . is it OK?
Your MG runs an android system? Does it have CarPlay?
How does streaming apps such as netflix, youtube, and hbo max work on this box? I noticed you didn't test any of them in your review.
I did show TH-cam for sync. After that point it’s all the same as the other dongles. Getting tired just wasting peoples time in the video length showing the same old stuff. Also I don’t have a HBO account to even try that sadly.
@@CarPlayLife No worries. If it's the same as the others that's great, but just wanted to see if there was any difference since this unit has 64GB vs 32GB like the others. Thanks for your review. It was enough for me to pull the trigger.
I have an Al box, and it’s now having audio lag from my videos, which is very annoying. I tried to fix it on the developer screen by switching the Bluetooth code, but it doesn’t allow me to. Any suggestions to fix this?
You say ‘now having audio lag’ so you’re saying it didn’t have audio lag before? What area are you talking about, within an Android OS app, wireless CarPlay or wireless android auto?
@@CarPlayLife it’s having lag while watching it wireless with TH-cam or Netflix. But now I have a different question. In your opinion, which is the best dongle to buy as far as quality and the way it operates as far as watching TH-cam, Netflix and things like that?
@@michaelcarbonell8891 I prefer the GT0464 AI Boxes for their better performance and UI amzn.to/3wd1ZrJ
The floating home button is too difficult to use while driving. You had mentioned some other dongles which have a persistent side dock. Could you please tell me which ones have this feature? Thanks for all of your excellent videos!
The only two that’s done this is the Lexxson/ZBox AI dongle I reviewed here th-cam.com/video/L0UXE3ZwKE8/w-d-xo.html and the MMB 11 Plus I reviewed here th-cam.com/video/rLERYPoYkOE/w-d-xo.html the MMB removes it complete and the Lexxson has a floating button in CarPlay but a side dock for the android side. So no one has really nailed this yet.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks for the reply. I really like the MMB but not sure why they wouldn't have included a sim slot?
@@fegar1 Yes it's very unfortunate they didn't include one. They might think it is more likely people will use personal hotspot from their phone than buy a new data SIM. 🤷♂
@@CarPlayLife Probably so, but from my experience trying to use old phones as a "car phone" the hotspot isn't an ideal solution. For one most US carriers limit your hotspot speeds to the point that even maps doesn’t perform properly. Secondly having the hotspot on really drains the primary phones battery meaning it has to be plugged in defeating the purpose!
Yes, both are good points. I’m not a fan of hotspotting either, it’s never been 100% reliable for me.
Do you have to buy the remote control separate
Yes. Some stores off it as an extra options at checkout.
I purchased two of these and both had HDMI issues.
Sorry to hear that. What issues exactly just didn’t work or graphical issues?
@@CarPlayLife when connecting the HDMI to the rear screens it is a blank screen or garbled. I’ve tried changing the resolution and resetting the box but with no success.
Oh. Sorry to hear that.
someone know if working for toyota c-hr 2018?
The new boxes with the snapdragon 665 (qcm6125) are out with android 10 supposedly. These snapdragon 450 boxes are all outdated and the same as previous releases. Gotta love the 4 month upgrade cycle from china!
Link?
That’s good to know. I’ll keep an eye out for them or at least expect them in the second wave of dongles no doubt releasing early this year.
They really need more CPU power to make their use a bit nicer to use. I’m getting tired of this struggling generation. Hoping to see something new and different but to find it’s pretty much the same 😔
@@CarPlayLife Keep us posted amigo, ordered myself the carlinkit 3.0 but I the thing I want is a quick and fancy Android box, so waiting for a newer generation
@@Bolagnaise amazon has one with QCM6125 chip
Thanks for the tip, just ordered a "M.I.C. Carplay AI Box: Android 10 Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 4GB + 64GB" from Amazon Germany, hope it'll arrive end of jan :)
Nice video , question. I have android 10 android car radio , I use a z fold 3 with android 12, I also use AAAD app where I have downloaded farmata and other apps that android auto usually won't let you use. Which of these wireless android auto would support and allow the same functions while allowing all apps to work 🤔 thanks in advance
Thanks for watching.
If you can run usual android apps directly on the dongle, is AAAD app needed at this point on the dongle?
@CarPlay Life no it's not needed at all , but aaad give you the option of watching videos or mirroring your phone to the screen which is a great option.
@@KingTheDetailer ok the android os would do all that natively the only issue is giving it internet where your phone would have it all ready and built in. So that could be more convenient
Hey Mate, Thank you for an amazing review. I wanted to ask you a question regarding these dongles. Haven't been able to find any answer other places but you might know.
When the dongle is connected, when I go to reverse camera(forward too) on my dash it restarts the dongle (mind you I have the ottocast and not this particular one) is this normal for all the dongles or perhaps just the one I have? I just want to figure out if it is the dongle or perhaps my car, so I wouldn't have to try to buy another one. Any info you might have would be lovely.
Thank you in advance!
Hi. I assume these camera feeds are part of your car system and is outside the CarPlay option. It could be how your system is setup specifically and that switching source modes will cancel CarPlay to give all the system resources to the forward/reverse feed. So that might explain why the dongle is rebooted when switching back. I would guess all other dongles would do this.
One test you could do is have your iPhone plugged in via usb running CarPlay with an app open like Maps, Spotify or music for example. And switch to the reverse source mode etc and then swap back and see if CarPlay is just the same running the same app or if it has restarted and it’s showing the CarPlay menu screen. That way you would know if it’s holding CarPlay in a paused state or not and maybe a different dongle might deal with that better.
@@CarPlayLife Thank you for the suggest. I got 2 other ones and they seem to be fine when camera is engaged. sadly the Ottocast which was the most expensive (and faster than the others) doesn't work.
@@farzanb good to know, thanks for sharing. What where the dongles brands that worked? In case any one else is looking for this same functionality
Where can I get the latest update ! thank you
Sorry I don’t know of any location. If you need to update due to compatibility you are better off asking them directly for any update files to fix whatever issue you have.
Hi what is the best carplay Android box in your opinion?
This and the CarLinkit TBox are good. But I think the newer ones that I have yet to review very soon (maybe this Friday) might be one of the better ones to buy. So maybe wait for that video.
have you figured out a way to switch from carplay to AA or vice versa when both phones are in the car?
Most (or all) dongles don't support this that well. BT is needed to pair with either device, so if one is using it still, the other can't connect. You have to fully quit BT on the current device before the newer device can connect to the same BT profile. So other than that, there's little else to repot on this, there's no magical way that's any smoother experience.
@@CarPlayLife That's what I figured. It seems whoever is the first to connect on Bluetooth gets to use their app. I'm content letting the wife use it while I just use the native Android os while we're in the car together. Android auto while I'm alone
@@CarPlayLife while both phones connect to Bluetooth, if you go into settings, I couldn't see either connected in the settings. Same thing with wifi hotspot. I can see that it says 2 devices connected but no way to kick one or the other off to leave one connected. I guess it used the wifi hotspot to display the interface to the car screen.
@@ELCapiTRAN for wireless AA or CP BT is only used for the initial pairing before it swaps to WiFi. But BT is still required because I think if you turn BT off the WiFi will disconnect
How to conncect with wlan
Turn WiFi on and connect to the available network.
Love your reviews! Quick q. What happens if you have both USB (to car) and HDMI plugged in? Does the HDMI output the same as the head unit?
Thank you.
Yes it does, it mirrors what’s on the CarPlay display. I don’t think it passes audio though so the sound would have to come from the usb side and out of the car speakers for all the hear.
Which version of Android are you running? Is it Android 12?
This is supposed to be running 10. Unless you mean my pixel 5. That’s running 12
Do you know how I can reach technical support for this device? When I pair my android phone with the unit via bluetooth in the carplay app the Android Auto interface never comes up or connects--it remains in "waiting" mode. Any advice?
Sorry I don’t. Maybe ask the seller who you bought it from.
Usually when this happens I removal all BT and WiFi profiles for the dongle. Restart both devices and try to connect fresh again.
Or if BT is paring go to WiFi settings on your android and look for a WiFi network that might be the dongle. Connect to it with either 12345678 or 88888888 once connected AA might kick in. Also make sure your running android 11 or later and android auto settings for wireless is turned on.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks. I have an older phone with Android 8--figured this might be the issue...
@@teeztoyz ah! That will be the issue then 😔
@@CarPlayLife How did you come to learn to use Android 11 or later? There's no specification listed or is there and I missed it somewhere?
@@teeztoyz it’s just known knowledge that wireless android auto only supported on most devices running 11 or higher. This came about because I couldn’t get my Realme6 to work wirelessly so I looked around why and I learnt about the limit to 11 or higher 😔 so I went to buy a pixel 5 to get it
Now i just need to find a clone on amazon. This the one i want but i dont want to wait till march!
Can you play asphalt while in the car just like on the tv with a controller?
Also do you know of one on amazon that is comparable?
You can play any game on the carplay screen, just like with a tv or monitor and a controller. My only concern if you plan on doing this is the power of these dongle.
The newer 665 chipsets in these dongles should be better (but I’ve yet to test one myself) this one on Amazon DE amzn.to/3HeX8J3 and this one on Amazon US amzn.to/3r7lKO6 (none of these do HDMI though)
@@CarPlayLife thanks for the reply man 💯
Have a look at digidash, pretty much identical but UK based.
I've got a review on my channel if it helps 👍
@@CRD90 thanks. It looks like it’s pretty much a rebrand of the Bingo+/Aurora.
Hi, can you recommend a device that will give me a wireless carplay in the car and work well? Model: Golf 2021 (unfortunately does not come from the factory in this version)
You need a factory system that has wired CarPlay installed already for these dongles to work with it.
@@CarPlayLife I have the system with the connection via cable. Is there a dongle that will activate my wireless carplay in a good way?
@@micoash when you connect the cable does it show CarPlay or just stream media in its own player. The system has to have CarPlay enabled.
@@CarPlayLife Yes, my system shows me CarPlay when I connect a cable
@@micoash is it just wireless CarPlay that you’re after or do you want android OS of android auto?
its not really andriod 10 its actually still android 9 with just version changed
Cheeky ! 🙈 so device info isn’t telling lies then 🤔
@@CarPlayLife i had one of those and was tellling the guy mine says android 9 and he said i can send you another update and make it say android 11
@@goldenvoiceofnepal Oh wow! 😠🤦♂
Will yt and netflix lag if u use mobile hotspot rather than home wifi?
It won’t lag but it could buffer more and be slow when browsing or skipping the stream if you have a poor mobile data connection.
Another LIKE! 😅
🙌🏻 thanks 😊
Fake Android 10 lol
That or Device Info not detecting the platform correctly 🤷🏻♂️